NameCensus.

UK surname

Mahoney

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Mathghamhna, meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," derived from "bear" and "calf."

In the 1881 census there were 3,153 people recorded with the Mahoney surname, ranking it #1,429 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 5,914, ranked #1,139, up from #1,429 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes and St Giles-in-the-Fields. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Merthyr Tydfil and Torfaen.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Mahoney is 6,217 in 2010. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 87.6%.

1881 census count

3,153

Ranked #1,429

Modern count

5,914

2016, ranked #1,139

Peak year

2010

6,217 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Mahoney had 3,153 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #1,429 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 5,914 in 2016, ranked #1,139.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 3,417 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Mahoney surname distribution map

The map shows where the Mahoney surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Mahoney surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Mahoney over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 1,396 #2,055
1861 historical 1,833 #1,575
1881 historical 3,153 #1,429
1891 historical 2,764 #1,708
1901 historical 3,258 #1,709
1911 historical 3,417 #1,534
1997 modern 5,837 #1,123
1998 modern 5,970 #1,138
1999 modern 6,055 #1,129
2000 modern 5,946 #1,140
2001 modern 5,840 #1,136
2002 modern 5,969 #1,139
2003 modern 5,874 #1,127
2004 modern 5,859 #1,131
2005 modern 5,838 #1,123
2006 modern 5,824 #1,121
2007 modern 5,845 #1,129
2008 modern 5,890 #1,129
2009 modern 6,070 #1,121
2010 modern 6,217 #1,118
2011 modern 6,074 #1,126
2012 modern 5,886 #1,131
2013 modern 5,975 #1,134
2014 modern 6,012 #1,140
2015 modern 5,970 #1,137
2016 modern 5,914 #1,139

Geography

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Where Mahoneys are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos), London parishes, St Giles-in-the-Fields and Merthyr Tydfil. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Merthyr Tydfil and Torfaen. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Ystradyfodwg (incl. Rhigos) Glamorganshire
2 London parishes London 1
3 London parishes London 3
4 St Giles-in-the-Fields London (Central Districts)
5 Merthyr Tydfil Glamorganshire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Merthyr Tydfil 002 Merthyr Tydfil
2 Merthyr Tydfil 005 Merthyr Tydfil
3 Torfaen 002 Torfaen
4 Merthyr Tydfil 008 Merthyr Tydfil
5 Merthyr Tydfil 003 Merthyr Tydfil

Forenames

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First names often paired with Mahoney

These lists show first names that appear often with the Mahoney surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Mahoney

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Mahoney, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Mahoney surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Mahoney household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Young Families and Mainstream Employment

Group

Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins

Within London, Mahoney is most associated with areas classed as Social Rented Sector and Diverse Origins, part of Young Families and Mainstream Employment. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Scattered across London’s Inner and Outer suburbs, residents of these neighbourhoods are typically housed in the social rented sector. Although terraced and semi-detached houses predominate, more residents live in flats than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Neighbourhoods are more ethnically diverse than the Supergroup average. Those identifying as of Bangladeshi, Pakistani and some Black ethnicities are more prevalent. Europeans born in a overseas non-EU countries make up more of the lower proportion of residents identifying as White. Few residents are very old (85+). Employment in distribution, hotels and restaurants is more common than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Many families in these neighbourhoods have young children. Housing is principally in the social rented sector, in terraced or semi-detached units. While over-all residential densities are low, overcrowding is also prevalent locally. Residents are drawn from a range of ethnic minorities, with many identifying as Black and above average numbers born in Africa. Numbers identifying as of Chinese, Indian or White ethnicity are below average. Levels of proficiency in English are below average. Levels of separation or divorce and incidence of disability are both above average. Education is typically limited to Level 1, 2, or apprenticeship qualifications. Few residents work in professional or managerial occupations but the employment structure is otherwise diverse: it includes skilled trades, caring, leisure and other service occupations, sales and customer service occupations, construction, and work as process, plant, and machine operatives.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Mahoney is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Mahoney falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Mahoney is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 50-60 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

8
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Mahoney, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Mahoney

The surname Mahoney is of Irish origin and can be traced back to the early medieval period. It is an anglicized version of the Gaelic name Ó Mathghamhna, which means "descendant of Mathghamhan". Mathghamhan was a personal name derived from the Irish words "maith" meaning good or noble, and "gamhan" meaning a calf or bear.

The earliest known bearers of this surname were located in County Cork, particularly in the area around the town of Mahon. This place name is believed to have derived from the same Gaelic root as the surname, indicating that the family may have taken their name from the territory they inhabited.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval chronicle of Irish history. In an entry dated 1171, a certain Mathghamhain Ua Mathghamhna is listed as the Chief of Ui Mathghamhna, a territory located in what is now County Cork.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the spelling of the name began to evolve and variations such as Mahowny, Mahony, and Mahoney became more common. This was largely due to the influence of the English language and the anglicization of Irish names.

Notable individuals with the surname Mahoney throughout history include:

1. Dermot Mahoney (c. 1540-1610), an Irish rebel leader who fought against English rule in Munster during the Desmond Rebellions.

2. Francis Sylvester Mahoney (1804-1866), an American Catholic priest and author who wrote extensively on religious topics.

3. Michael Mahoney (1837-1924), an Irish-American businessman and politician who served as the Mayor of San Francisco from 1884 to 1886.

4. Will Mahoney (1892-1967), an American vaudeville performer and comedian known for his pantomime and silent comedy acts.

5. Dorothy Mahoney (1920-2014), an American mathematician and computer scientist who made significant contributions to the field of numerical analysis.

While the surname Mahoney is now found throughout the English-speaking world, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Gaelic kingdoms of Ireland, where it was borne by noble families and chieftains for centuries.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Mahoney families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Mahoney surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Middlesex leads with 893 Mahoneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.86x.

County Total Index
Middlesex 893 2.86x
Surrey 450 2.96x
Lancashire 409 1.10x
Glamorgan 302 5.55x
Kent 194 1.82x
Monmouthshire 173 7.66x
Yorkshire 142 0.46x
Gloucestershire 91 1.49x
Essex 76 1.23x
Hampshire 60 0.94x
Durham 59 0.63x
Devon 51 0.78x
Royal Navy 40 10.75x
Sussex 24 0.46x
Cornwall 21 0.59x
Cheshire 19 0.28x
Warwickshire 19 0.24x
Channel Islands 14 1.51x
Staffordshire 14 0.13x
Shropshire 11 0.41x
Aberdeenshire 10 0.35x
Bedfordshire 10 0.62x
Dorset 10 0.49x
Lanarkshire 10 0.10x
Brecknockshire 9 1.44x
Somerset 9 0.18x
Hertfordshire 7 0.33x
Renfrewshire 7 0.29x
Northumberland 6 0.13x
Westmorland 6 0.87x
Angus 5 0.17x
Herefordshire 5 0.39x
Wiltshire 5 0.18x
Worcestershire 5 0.12x
Norfolk 4 0.08x
Derbyshire 3 0.06x
Leicestershire 3 0.09x
Lincolnshire 3 0.06x
Midlothian 3 0.07x
Northamptonshire 3 0.10x
Nottinghamshire 3 0.07x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.30x
Flintshire 2 0.24x
Inverness-shire 2 0.21x
Ayrshire 1 0.04x
Berkshire 1 0.04x
Huntingdonshire 1 0.16x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liverpool in Lancashire leads with 114 Mahoneys recorded in 1881 and an index of 5.06x.

Place Total Index
Liverpool 114 5.06x
Merthyr Tydfil 89 17.03x
Bermondsey 86 9.25x
St Woollos 75 29.76x
St Giles In Fields 62 57.55x
Deptford St Paul 56 6.81x
Cardiff St Mary 48 16.02x
Southwark St John 48 50.25x
Newington 47 4.07x
Southwark St George Martyr 45 7.16x
Ratcliffe London 44 25.51x
Rotherhithe 43 11.14x
Poplar London 41 6.95x
Lambeth 40 1.47x
Whitechapel London 40 12.99x
Royal Navy 38 11.94x
St Botolph Aldgate 37 86.77x
St Pancras London 37 1.47x
Trevethin 36 16.88x
Limehouse London 35 10.21x
Manchester 35 2.10x
West Ham 35 2.57x
St George In East 34 16.00x
Shoreditch London 32 2.36x
Bethnal Green London 31 2.28x
Plymouth St Andrew 30 5.99x
St Marylebone London 30 1.80x
Battersea 29 2.52x
Kensington London 28 1.61x
Woolwich 27 6.86x
Everton 26 2.20x
St Gilesin Fields 26 142.86x
Westminster St John 26 6.84x
Camberwell 25 1.25x
Leeds 24 1.37x
Newport 24 22.28x
Bowling 23 7.50x
Swansea Town 23 5.16x
Islington London 22 0.73x
St Andrew Holborn 21 19.83x
Bristol St Paul In 20 12.25x
Gelligaer 20 16.10x
Leckwith 20 156.25x
Portsea 20 1.59x
St Martin In Fields 20 10.70x
Bristol St James In 19 21.09x
Chelsea London 19 2.02x
Clerkenwell London 19 2.58x
Deptford St Nicholas 19 22.47x
St Luke London 19 3.79x
Bromley London 18 2.62x
Holy Trinity 18 2.42x
Paddington London 18 1.57x
Hackney London 17 0.97x
Hammersmith London 17 2.21x
Kirkdale 17 2.73x
Warrington 17 3.87x
Croydon 16 1.89x
Llanwonno 16 8.19x
Gillingham 15 6.83x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 15 3.73x
Mile End New Town 15 35.17x
Sunbury 15 39.98x
West Drayton 15 139.02x
Aldershot 14 6.53x
Cardiff St John 14 7.88x
Preston 14 1.41x
Toxteth Park 14 1.12x
Bristol St Augustine 13 13.15x
St Clement Danes 13 25.71x
St George Bloomsbury 13 7.25x
St Helier 13 4.31x
Brighton 12 1.13x
Darlaston 12 8.24x
Salford 12 1.10x
Shadwell London 12 13.73x
Stockton On Tees 12 2.68x
Walton Le Dale 12 12.05x
Wortley In Bramley 12 4.90x
Wigan 11 2.12x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Mahoney surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 349
Ellen 155
Catherine 117
Margaret 88
Elizabeth 74
Ann 58
Annie 42
Bridget 42
Kate 42
Julia 38
Sarah 36
Hannah 35
Eliza 33
Jane 33
Johanna 23
Alice 15
Susan 12
Emily 11
Norah 11
Catharine 10
Agnes 9
Harriet 9
Amelia 8
Anne 8
Emma 8
Honora 8
Katherine 8
Louisa 8
Charlotte 7
Florence 7
Johannah 7
Martha 7
Elizth. 6
Caroline 5
Esther 5
Maria 5
Anastatia 4
Anna 4
Clara 4
Fanny 4
Helen 4
Margret 4
Minnie 4
Rose 4
Sophia 4
Abigail 3
Anastasia 3
Bridgett 3
Isabella 3
Jessie 3

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Mahoney surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 314
James 164
William 99
Daniel 97
Patrick 94
Michael 84
Thomas 83
Edward 47
Timothy 46
Jeremiah 42
Cornelius 38
Dennis 37
Joseph 25
Denis 21
David 17
George 17
Henry 17
Charles 15
Robert 15
Alfred 11
Martin 11
Peter 11
Frederick 10
Richard 10
Stephen 10
Jas. 8
Francis 7
Micheal 7
Wm. 7
Andrew 6
J. 6
Jno. 6
Thos. 6
Danl. 5
M. 5
Samuel 5
T. 5
Walter 5
Arthur 4
Cain 4
Harry 4
Jerry 4
Michl. 4
Morris 4
Philip 4
Alexander 3
Davis 3
Fred 3
Jerimiah 3
Lawrence 3

FAQ

Mahoney surname: questions and answers

How common was the Mahoney surname in 1881?

In 1881, 3,153 people were recorded with the Mahoney surname. That placed it at #1,429 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Mahoney surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 5,914 in 2016. That gives Mahoney a modern rank of #1,139.

What does the Mahoney surname mean?

Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Mathghamhna, meaning "descendant of Mathghamhain," derived from "bear" and "calf."

What does the Mahoney map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Mahoney bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.